12/7/2012

Since Elementary School, Jordan Trump ’10 has considered himself a runner. From running his first six-miler with his dad driving the van next to him, to completing his first marathon before graduating high school, running has saturated his life. Throughout his running, Trump has struggled with one element: shoes. With size 12 feet that he claims are “abnormally wide,” he has never been able to find what most runners call “the perfect pair.” After a successful cross country and track career at Millikin, Trump decided to change his running to embrace a growing trend that experts are saying lowers injury rates and improves technique. Instead of struggling to find shoes that fit, he decided to forgo shoes completely, transforming into a barefoot runner. While the popularity of barefoot running grows, the opinions of doctors and running experts remain split, with some believing in the natural abilities of the foot, and others promoting the comfort and technology of shoes.

What first prompted you to try barefoot running?I always had bad form, and I thought that learning to run with better form might be better on my body and allow me to run farther and faster. After a few months of training, I realized I was right. Going from shoes that weigh 14-18 oz. each to no shoes really saves energy. Also, my form is more efficient so I can run farther before my legs get tired or start to hurt. I could not imagine going back to them. Once you get used to running without cushioning and all the high-tech material in conventional running shoes, you realize it’s just dead weight strapped to your feet. Plus, I’m always ready to go for a run. I don’t have to worry about where my running shoes are anymore!

Do you run exclusively barefoot, or do you have minimalist shoes?I started out exclusively barefoot for about four months, but eventually found minimalist shoes that I liked (Zemgear 360s). I like the feeling of running barefoot for easy runs, but I find that sometimes I need some form of protection. Having something on my feet, even if it’s thin, helps me relax and focus on my run. Also, if I run extensively barefoot, my feet start to get tender. Currently, I’m training hard for my next marathon, so I’m only running barefoot about 25 percent of the time.

What were some of the difficulties you experienced from transitioning?It took me about four months from starting barefoot to where I wanted to be, which was being able to run a marathon barefoot or minimalist. When I started, I was more susceptible to blisters. I also had to choose my running surfaces more carefully. I spent a lot of time running in circles on the Millikin football field grass.

Do you still have difficulties running barefoot?Occasionally, yes. There are still some surfaces that just don’t work barefoot. Also, if I am tired and don’t focus on relaxing when I run, it tends to be a bit less enjoyable.

How do you deal with cold and wet conditions during winter months?Since I’m relatively new to barefoot running, last winter I played it safe and ran almost exclusively in my minimalist shoes. A barefoot runner’s primary form of feedback are the nerves in the foot, and once your feet are numb you really have no idea when they are near- ing their limits. I will likely try barefoot running this winter, but it will take time to build up to my usual mileage in cold and snowy conditions.

What would you recommend to people considering barefoot running?Stay patient when transitioning, pay attention to your form and try to run as relaxed as possible. Definitely seek advice from others who have done it before. For many, the transition can take up to a year; it just depends on how hard you work at it.

It has been more than a year since Trump’s transformation to barefoot running, and his results have given him every reason to keep going sans shoes. He has achieved personal records in every race distance from a 5K to a marathon, even qualifying for the Boston Marathon, where he will compete in April 2013. In one year, he improved his time at the Illinois Marathon from 3:41 to 2:50. He won a local 5K, Penguin in the Park, with a two-minute margin while barefoot and competing against more than 600 other runners. Along his journey, he hasn’t felt the need to take a day off from running in more than a year. His success is as easy to see as his bare feet racing along the running path winding through Decatur’s Fairview Park, and while his family and friends may still think he’s crazy, they can’t argue with his results.

Lance Brooks '08 of Denver missed qualifying for the 2008 Olympics discus throw by only 26 inches. Four years later, in June of this year, he erased that memory and sealed his spot on the 2012 U.S. Summer Olympic team by heaving a personal-best throw that was nearly six feet farther than his closest competitor at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. The suspense of “would he or wouldn’t he” make the Olympics came down to Brooks’ sixth and final throw of the day. After fouling on the previous two throws and needing to match or exceed the Olympic “A” standard distance of 65 meters (213 feet, 3 inches) in order to clinch his spot on the U.S. team, Brooks threw his discus 65.15 meters (213 feet, 9 inches), notched his right to be an Olympian and further confirmed his ranking as the No. 1 discus thrower in the U.S. With that same throw, he also beat his previous career-best throw of 64.92 meters (213 feet), set at a competition just a few months earlier.

“That’s definitely not how I’d like to do it. It’s a little stressful, a little nerve-wracking,” Brooks told the Denver Post afterward. “But I’ve always seemed to throw well at the end of the meet.”

The former Eagle Scout had long ago set a lifetime goal of competing in the Olympics. Although his first and ongoing love was basketball, beginning with playing YMCA ball in fourth grade, Brooks competed in track starting in junior high. Initially coached by his father and uncle because no track team existed, he went on to win a state title in the discus during his senior year at New Berlin (Ill.) High School. He also earned varsity letters all four years in both basketball and baseball.

When Brooks set foot on the Millikin campus in fall 2002, he fully intended to focus on basketball with the hope of playing professionally after college. However, with some persuasion from then track coach Don Luy, Brooks ultimately competed in the discus all four years, setting several school records. His throw of 57.85 meters in May 2006 still stands as first in the Big Blue record book, outstripping the second-place finisher by more than nine meters. Brooks placed fourth in the nation in the discus throw that year and was recognized as an NCAA Division III All-American for his efforts.

Following graduation from Millikin with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Brooks briefly trained at the University of Arizona before moving to Denver to enter graduate school in limnology (inland waters ecology) at the University of Colorado. All the while, he worked part time to support himself while fitting in training during his spare time. A job in a bar brought him to the attention of throwing coach Steve DeAutremont, who had qualified for the 1976 Olympics in the hammer throw. DeAutremont could see that Brooks was frittering away a very viable shot at becoming a top professional athlete in the discus event, and he had a stern wake-up call for Brooks: Make your training your top priority if you want to work with me.

At that time, Brooks had worked up to seven part-time jobs at once to support himself, including high school coach, model, bartender, bouncer and construction worker. On the advice of DeAutremont, he cut back on employment to focus more intently on the skills he needed to successfully complete his quest to be an Olympian. “I relied on a lot of my natural ability, my athleticism, to throw,” Brooks told the Denver Post. “It got me to a certain level, but when Steve and I started working together and we started doing the [weight] lifting part, I realized your talent can take you to a certain level, but if you want to be world class and elite, you have to do the right lifts and train like one.”

DeAutremont probably wasn’t the first to realize the obvious: The New Berlin native was born to throw the discus. Unlike most humans, whose outstretched arms give them a wingspan as wide as they are tall, Brooks’ wingspan tops his 6-foot-6-inch height by a good six inches. That wingspan is anchored by a solid-as-granite foundation, with Brooks’ perennially large feet ensconced in their size 17 Nike shoes (“My footprint barely fit on the birth certificate when I was born!” he says.). For a sport where strong arms and strong legs are vital, that gives him a distinct edge, as well as the fact that the 270-pound athlete can leap from a standing position to a platform 57 inches above the ground. (Hard to believe? Watch the video: www.lancebrooksolympics.com/media.php)

“Just take a picture of him and put somebody standing next to him, you get a pretty good idea,” DeAutremont told the Post. “Then I take a look at those size 17 feet, and I just grin every day.” After Brooks dedicated himself to full-time training with DeAutremont, the results started to show, with Brooks finishing fourth at the 2009 U.S. Track and Field Championships. In 2010, he tossed the fourth-best throw in the U.S. and was ranked 14th in the world. Several top finishes followed over the next two years, culminating with Brooks’ performances in Eugene at the Olympic Trials in June, finishing in first as a qualifier and then three days later heaving that last-attempt throw of 65.15 meters to win the discus trials outright.

The transformation from naturally gifted, semi-serious discus thrower to professional world-class athlete was done. Brooks had achieved his childhood dream to be an Olympian. The next step was the Summer Olympics in London in August, an experience he calls “amazing” despite the fact his rhythm was off on competition day, and he finished in 21st place, four meters short of his personal-best throw. “I felt good and ready to throw, just mistimed a few technique points during the competition,” he said. The amazing experience continued for the 28-year-old Olympian even after the games were over, highlighted by a place of honor in New Berlin’s homecoming parade and a visit to the White House. Singled out from more than 400 USA Olympic team members in attendance that day, Brooks was surprised to find himself on the receiving end of a shout-out from President Obama for his hardscrabble journey to get to the Olympics. The president took special note of how Brooks successfully balanced his discus training while often pouring concrete for up to 12 hours a day as a construction worker.

More accolades came during Millikin’s homecoming in October, when Brooks was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame, along with Lin Stoner ’73, Denise Fogle ’91 and Suzanne Murphy Short ’00. It wasn’t his first trip back to campus after graduation. Brooks has returned to MU four times to lead a throwing clinic for area youth and help provide the type of professional coaching he wishes he’d received as a youngster. “I enjoy teaching kids,” he says. “I didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up.” Competitors in the discus event traditionally peak in their 30s, and Brooks will be only 32 when the 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio de Janeiro. He plans to be ready

Deb Hale Kirchner is editor of Millikin Quarterly magazine and director of communications and services for the alumni and development office. She has never competed in a discus event, but she finished second in the pole vault while in sixth grade and still has the ribbon somewhere.

11/30/2012

In recent months, Millikin lost two individuals who had been inducted into the Millikin Medallion Society for their lasting impact on the university: Associate Professor Emeritus of Industrial Engineering Denny Benner and Millikin supporter Lauri Pilling, wife of trustee emeritus Frank “Bud” Pilling. The Millikin Medallion Society Award was conferred during the university’s centennial celebration held from 2001 to 2003 and recognized those individuals who had the greatest impact on Millikin in the university’s first 100 years.

Denny Benner who had taught at the university from 1963 to 1991, died July 19. In addition to teaching, Benner was faculty adviser during the first years of WJMU-FM, the student radio station, and also represented Millikin and the Society of Professional Engineers as state and regional coordinator for MATHCOUNTS, a nationwide competitive program for seventh- and eighth-grade students. He also initiated and supervised a student-tutor system during his 28 years at the university. After his death, the family suggested that memorials be given to the Denny Benner Scholarship at Millikin.

Lauri Pilling died July 9. She and her husband have been long-time and generous supporters of the university, including annual gifts to the Millikin Fund. They also funded the construction of Pilling Chapel, Millikin’s first free-standing interfaith chapel, built in the heart of campus in 1997. They also included an endowment to ensure the chapel’s future viability. Most recently, the Pillings have been supporters to the proposed new university center, a priority of the “Transform MU” capital campaign.

The couple also created the Bud and Lauri Pilling Scholarship Fund in 1992, supported renovations of Shilling Hall in the 1980s and are members of the university’s Investors Society. The couple also received the 2002 James Millikin Award. The award is given annually to non-alumni friends of the university who have demonstrated exemplary financial support of Millikin. They were also recognized with a 2011 “Do Something Great” award presented to outstanding philanthropists by the Decatur and Macon County Community Foundation.

When Kate Dawson ’96 and her husband, Jed Cohen, learned on New Year’s Eve 2010 that they were expecting their first child, they also expected a year of changes. But the New York couple (pictured above with their 13-month- old son, Zeke, and dog, Sophie) could not have anticipated the many changes that year would bring to their lives or the opportunity they would have to bring about change in the lives of others. Their journey into this unexpected future began with Dawson’s reminiscences about her past.

As 2011 began, Dawson found her thoughts turning to the women in her life who were role models for motherhood: her own mother, grandmothers, aunt and sister. With those thoughts came memories of her beloved cousin, Jill, a young mother who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2006.

“As I began to focus more on becoming a mother, I started to think about how awful it must have been for Jill, knowing she would have to leave her children,” Dawson remembers. “She was an amazing mother, and I wanted to do something to honor her, to bring families together and hopefully raise some money to fight breast cancer.”

As a veteran performer and lifelong music lover, Dawson dreamed of creating a music CD, with proceeds from sales going to fund breast cancer charities. “I knew it had to be something involving music because that’s where my heart and soul are,” Dawson says. “Growing up, I was always singing around the house. And everyone knew that there were always show tunes playing at the Dawsons’.”

So she hit upon the idea of a CD of lullabies featuring Broadway performers and composers. “That seemed like the perfect vehicle to memorialize Jill and contribute to the world,” she says. It was also perfect timing. Dawson had completed performances of her one-woman off-Broadway show (which she also wrote and produced) and, while awaiting the birth of her son, found herself ready to take on another creative opportunity. “While at Millikin, I realized that I found more fulfillment and joy in creating things,” says Dawson. “I love performing – and I will always perform, but playing roles that have been played hundreds of times isn’t as interesting to me. What I want is to create and send things out into the world that matter.”

When she first began contacting performer and composer friends to enlist their support for the project, Dawson wondered if anyone would be interested in participating. “I had no sense of whether this was something the world wanted,” Dawson says. “I didn’t want to make a CD of cheesy lullabies – I really wanted a collection of songs that were comforting and calming for children, but that were also interesting for adults, so that it could be something families could and would share.” One of the friends she contacted was respected dramaturg and educator Jodi Glucksman.

“We went out to dinner with our husbands and discussed it,” Dawson says. “Jodi was very supportive and loved the idea of the profits from the sales going to breast cancer charities.” Glucksman’s enthusiasm for the project (she eventually signed on as co-producer and sponsor) is understandable. She lost her grandmother to breast cancer, her mother and mother-in-law are both survivors of the disease, and her sister-in-law is a breast cancer surgeon. As veterans of New York’s theatrical community, Dawson and Glucksman compared notes and contacted friends and acquaintances to gauge interest in the project. As they began hearing back from composers, musicians and performers, they realized that almost all of them had some experience with breast cancer.

“Unfortunately, this disease is so much a part of all of our lives now, it seems there’s hardly anyone who hasn’t been touched by it,” Dawson says. Perhaps as a result of this shared experience with breast cancer, the level of interest in the project was beyond anything Dawson could have predicted. Soon, what began as a small album of lullabies transformed into an ambitious package including two CDs with 26 original songs; an accompanying illustrated book featuring 17 album songs; and an e-book. The project was also chronicled in a short film, “Over The Moon,” by Peabody & Emmy award-winning documentarian Barbara Rick and Out of The Blue Films Inc.

“We wound up with more songs than we could record,” Dawson says. “Great songs just kept coming, and suddenly, we had more than 35 lullabies. We picked the 26 that we felt made the most cohesive collection, but I hope those other wonderful songs that we couldn’t use will someday be heard by the world.” When they decided to publish the accompanying children’s book of illustrated lyrics, Glucksman contacted her friend, book designer Barbara Aronica-Buck. Renowned theatrical designers and children’s book illustrators signed on for the project, and Broadway and movie legend Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, wrote the book’s forward. “Over The Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project,” was released May 7.

“We had a free concert in the Stephen Sondheim Theatre to mark the release, and more than 1,000 people came,” Dawson says. “It was one of the most profound nights of my life; Jill’s family came, and it was an evening I will never forget. There was so much love in that theatre.” And in the end, love is what this project is all about. Dawson sees “Over The Moon” as an opportunity to celebrate and enhance the love between parent and child. “The forward Julie Andrews and her daughter wrote for the book captures the essence of what these songs are about — the connection between parent and child,” Dawson says. “When I sing to [our baby son] Zeke, he may not understand my words, but he understands my love. We share something more profound than words can express. Just to be holding him and looking into his eyes ... it’s amazing.”

Margaret Friend is the associate editor of Millikin Quarterly magazine. she has contributed to Quarterly as a writer since 2004 and joined the alumni and development team in 2010 as class notes editor for Quarterly. she and her husband, bill friend ’79, have one son and a 3-year-old granddaughter. she’s found there’s truth in the saying, “Grandchildren fill a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.”

11/28/2012

Spring graduates Kelsy England ’12 (right), formerly of Highland, Ill., and Brittany Sherron ’12 (left), formerly of Rockville, Ind., received the Lindsay Medallion award at a football game in late September.

The Lindsay Medallion, named in honor ofthe late F. Merrill Lindsay, trustee emeritus, and his late wife, “Sis” Lindsay, has been presented annually since 1997 to honor the Big Blue’s top student-athletes for outstanding performances on their respective teams.

Kelsy England dug, spiked and aced her way into the record books for the Big Blue volleyball team, distinguishing herself athletically and academically. England holds the Millikin career record for kills and both first and second place records for kills in a season. She also is third in the record book for career digs and tied for fourth in career service aces.

During her four years competing for the Big Blue, England received several honors, including being named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District Second Team. She was named to the CCIW All-Conference First Team and the AVCA All-Region Team three times during her Millikin career and was twice named to the AVCA All-American Second Team. She was also named to the CCIW Academic All-Conference Team all four years.

“During the past two seasons, Kelsy has been the unstoppable spotlighted player that led Millikin volleyball to first- and second-place finishes in the CCIW,” says Debbie Kiick, head women’s volleyball coach. “A four-year letter- winner, strong student and campus leader, Kelsy has all of the qualities the Lindsay Medallion represents.”

England majored in nursing while at Millikin. She recently moved to Springfield, Ill., and is a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Memorial Medical Center. She plans to return to school to become a nurse practitioner.

A stand-out member of the Big Blue track and field team, Brittany Sherron excelled in throwing events during her career. A school record-holder in the discus with a throw of 46.46 meters, Sherron is also in the record books as number two all-time in the weight throw and the indoor shot put.

A three-time qualifier for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Sherron earned All-America status with a fifth-place finish in discus in 2010.

During her senior year, Sherron was CCIW champion in both the weight throw and the discus. She was also named to the All- Conference Team in indoor and outdoor shot put. As a freshman, she was named to the All- Conference Team in discus, shot put and weight throw. During her sophomore year, Sherron was the CCIW discus champion and named All-Conference in indoor shot put. In 2011, she earned All-Conference status in discus, hammer and weight throw.

Sherron was named to the CCIW Academic All-Conference Team during all four years with the Big Blue, and as a sophomore, she was named to the USTRCCA Division III All- Academic Track Team.

“Brittany is an exceptional athlete and student both on the field and in the classroom,” says Dirk Doehring ’02, head coach of track & field and cross country. “She has been an excellent example of what a Millikin student-athlete should be.”

Sherron majored in biology and was a Leighty Science Scholar. She is a medical student at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Which U.S. college or university had the first homecoming celebration? This is a hotly debated topic, with Baylor (1909), Indiana University (1910), and the University of Illinois (1910) all making claims to early celebrations of fall homecomings. The first event at Millikin to be called a “homecoming” was held not in the fall, but in the spring May 12-13, 1911, in conjunction with Founder’s Day. Although there was no big football game, Millikin did play Lincoln College in a tennis match, faced Rose Polytechnic Institute in a track meet and battled Bradley Polytechnic Institute in a baseball game. The glee club and band entertained Millikinites on Saturday evening, and a circus set up its canopy on Millikin’s field. Ticket proceeds from the track meet, baseball game and circus helped raise funds for a new gymnasium and pool.

Plans to change to a fall homecoming came soon after. In 1911, alumnus Ben Wand wrote the Decaturian to suggest that current plans to move homecoming to the Thanksgiving football game were not ideal for alumni or current students, who preferred to spend the holiday at home with their families. “What we need at Millikin to foster college spirit and to promote intimate relationship between those who have gone and the active student body,” he wrote, “is a fixed date for a home coming to be decided by the ruling student organization ... after the same plan as is used at the University of Illinois ... [which is] earlier in the fall when chances for good weather are better.”

Later letters to the newspaper from students and alumni agreed that early fall would be a preferred time, and Millikin held its first fall homecoming Nov. 12-13, 1915. The inaugural homecoming football game featured Millikin vs. Illinois Wesleyan, a well-established rivalry that was sure to attract alumni to the festivities for, as the October 1915 Decaturian said, what alumnus wouldn’t “travel for miles” to see Millikin “beat Wesleyan, get Wesleyan’s goat, hang it on Wesleyan and otherwise clean up on our revered friends from Bloomington?” While Millikin was ot able to make good on their boasts, all enjoyed the parade through town, class luncheons, senior play, decorations, chapel exercises and a bonfire.

The freshman-sophomore scrap tradition became part of homecoming in 1917. This series of athletic contests between the freshman and sophomore classes featured various events over the years, including a tug of war, football game, pole race, archery contest, obstacle course, hockey game and basketball game. The scrap tradition took a hiatus for several years during World War II, but returned for the 1948 homecoming festivities and lasted until 1966.

Millikin’s first homecoming dance was held at Decatur’s Hotel Orlando in 1921, where attendees were allowed the privilege of staying until 11:30 p.m. Another tradition commonly associated with homecoming celebrations nationwide, the homecoming queen, began in 1932 with the crowning of Charlene Levinson, then a sophomore member of Zeta Tau Alpha. The queen contest (there was no homecoming king until 1976) was sponsored by Millikin’s Women’s Athletic Association (W.A.A.), and Levinson rode their float in the homecoming parade.

Some of these early homecoming traditions have fallen by the wayside over the years, and others have come and gone, but some have stayed the course. Every homecoming brings together old friends, fond memories and a celebration of school spirit. What Millikin homecoming tradition do you remember fondly? Let us know at millikin- quarterly@millikin.edu.

Amanda Pippitt is Millikin’s access services coordinator, archivist and research instruction librarian. She has worked at the university since 2004. She earned her master’s degree in library and information science from the University of illinois at Urbana-champaign and also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology.

In today's fiercely competitive job market, you need to step up your game to be considered for a job interview, and the best way is through a standout resume. With numerous applicants for limited openings, your resume must rise above the others. Even if you network your way to an interview for an unadvertised job position, you still must submit an excellent resume for consideration. Your resume is the foundation of your job search and well worth an investment of your time and energy.

These basic principles will help you create a resume that will capture attention:

1. Your resume needs a great format and excellent content. No employer will read your resume if your format is not well-organized and appealing, no matter how impressive the content may be. On the other hand, if you have a great format, but less-than-stellar content, you still won’t get an interview. Employers are looking for accomplishments and skills that make you uniquely qualified for the position. The person reviewing your resume will likely scan it for only 15-20 seconds, so make it count.

2. Proofread for typos! Employers will toss out resumes with spelling, grammatical and/or diction errors, so avoid this costly mistake by proofreading.

3. Always target your resume to the job you seek. Highlight and match your skills and experiences to the specific job qualifications. Show the employer you are well-qualified for the position.

4. In your resume’s heading, contact information should include a phone number with an area code and an email address. Make sure to have a professional voice message and a professional email address such as joe.jobseeker@ gmail.com. Do not use your current work email address. Potential employers may think that you are willing to conduct your job search on work time, plus your current employer may also be monitoring employee email.

5. Seperate your heading from the content of your resume with a line. This draws attention to the area directly under your heading. This is the most important real estate on your resume; use it wisely to present important information that will entice the employer to keep reading and bring you in for an interview.

6. Do you need an objective? Generally,an objective is not needed unless you are unsure whether there is a job opening or if you know a particular employer wants to see it on your resume. If you list one, keep it concise, such as: To obtain a graphic design position at Jump Company.

7. Know your degree! You’d be surprised how many people don’t know if they earned a bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or some other degree. Employers typically verify this information, and it could make or break your chance of getting an interview.

8. List your major correctly, without modifying it. Resist the temptation to list a concentration as your major because you think it might be more appealing to an employer. For instance, you may have majored in communication with a concentration in public relations, but listing your major as public relations is misrepresenting your academic credentials. This may hinder your ability to be hired. Here’s the correct way to list a degree and major:

Bachelor of Arts in CommunicationConcentration in Public RelationsMillikin University, Decatur, IL

9. Include your college grade point average (GPA) only if it is 3.0 or higher or if there is a GPA requirement you must meet for the position you seek. Include this information in your education section, listed in this style: GPA 3.2/4.0.

10. Generally, recent college graduates list their education section immediately after the heading and the objective (if one is used). If you are not a recent graduate, you should list your education at the bottom of your resume. This format may vary depending on the specific job industry, so make sure to find out the expectations for resumes in your field.

11. If you have substantial career experience, create a section highlighting accomplishments most relevant to the job you seek. Call this section "Summary of Qualifications," “Professional Summary” or something similar. This section should include powerful statements about you in a bullet-point format to maximize chances it will be read. Quantify when possible, using the actual numeral so it stands out to the reader. As an example: “Over 5 years of leadership and management experience, having supervised as many as 7 employees at one time.”

12. The next section should be "Career-Related Experience" or “Professional Experience.” List job titles first in bold, with dates of employment next to this (month/ year to month/year). Below this, list the name of the company/organization followed by the location (city/state). Finally, include approximately five bullet points highlighting your job accomplishments specific to the position, quantifying where appropriate. Avoid the tendency to present a laundry list of your job duties. Positions should be listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experience first, unless you have past experience that is more relevant to the job you are seeking. In that case, the most relevant should come first so it is near the top of your resume and more likely to pique the reader’s interest. Experience does not just mean employment; volunteer and other unpaid experiences may be relevant to your candidacy for a job and may be included in this section.

13. Other Sections you might consider adding include “Additional Experience,” “Community Involvement,” “Presentations,” “Publications,” “Professional Affiliations” or “Honors & Awards.” Use a format similar to other sections of your resume. Be concise and use bold text where relevant. Leadership positions in professional organizations should be in bold.

14. Do not include irrelevant person information, photos or personal pronouns. In particular, personal pronouns take up too much space and your name is already at the top of the page.

15. Create a page for your references using the same font and heading as your resume. Ask individuals for their permission before using them as references, and inform them about the position you are seeking so they can do their best to relate your skills and abilities to the requirements of the job. Provide your references with a copy of your resume, as well.

Follow these tips and it is likely that your resume will end up in the “to interview” pile.

<strong>Pam Folger</strong> is director of Millikin’s career center. she has more than 24 years of experi- ence in career and employment services, with more than 14 of those years at Millikin university.

11/26/2012

Isn’t it about time you invested in you? As individuals, we invest so much time and passion into our families and professions, yet we often neglect our bodies and take our health for granted until it catches up with us. The time to invest in your health is now.

Approximately 70 percent of all deaths in the United States are related to lifestyle, and 90 percent of these individuals die prematurely. Achieving good health does not mean you have to give up all the foods you love or that you have to run a marathon to enjoy the health benefits of leading an active lifestyle. Even a series of small steps can make a big difference, and I hope that you will be able to use some of the following suggestions to help you lead a longer, healthier life.

Have you heard of functional foods? Functional foods provide health benefits beyond the basic nutrition obtained from carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Functional foods include plant phytochemicals (antioxidants and nutraceuticals) and animal zoochemicals. Examples of phytochemicals include flavanols, lutein, lycopene, proanthocyanidins and soy. Zoochemicals include Omega 3 fatty acids. While these words are a mouthful, it is easy to assess whether you’re consuming them by answering a few simple questions.

1. HOW COLORFUL IS MY PLATE?While some colorful foods are rich in healthy carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, their hue is a hint that they may offer additional health benefits. For example:

2. DO I CONSUME A DIET RICH IN WILD FISH AND NUTS?Wild fish feed on Omega 3-rich algae and plankton on the ocean floor. Consuming wild fish provides a rich source of Omega 3s and selenium, another antioxidant. Try baking or grilling, and seasoning with lemon, spices and herbs. Deep frying cancels the benefits of the Omega 3s and selenium. In some studies, diets rich in wild fish and nuts have been found to significantly lower risk of heart disease and recurrent heart attack.

THE BOTTOM LINE

1. Choose a more colorful plate. Try to consume fruit with all your meals. Fresh fruit is best for dietary fiber. Add two vegetables to your lunch and dinner. Boiling your vegetables can leach out precious nutrients. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and fat, can promote a feeling of fullness and can offset unwanted calories from chips, fries and mayonnaise-based salads. Try using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Parkay butter spray instead of margarine or butter to omit some of the unhealthier types of fat and sodium, yet keep the flavor.

2. Choose wild fish. Try consuming wild fish three days a week or nine ounces a week – but don’t fry it. Salmon, herring, trout, tuna and sardines are great sources of Omega 3s. Beware of bottom dwellers such as shark, mackerel and albacore canned tuna due to potentially higher mercury levels.

3. Eat more nuts. Nuts such as peanuts, cashews and almonds are a great source of monounsaturated fat and can help you lower your total cholesterol and bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). Walnuts are one of the best types of polyunsaturated fat and have been shown in some studies to lower the risk of recurring heart attack when consumed in conjunction with wild fish.

Why not make it your goal to add each of these three options one at a time as a goal each week to start leading a healthier lifestyle? Once you accomplish this goal and it becomes a part of your routine, set another goal. Before you know it, you will be leading a much healthier lifestyle!

DR. TINA CLONEY is a health and nutrition professor in the College of Professional Studies, division of exercise science and sport. She is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and board certified specialist in sports dietetics. Her passion is communicating the role of nutrition in sport performance and nutrition and exercise in disease prevention and management.

The home of Millikin’s first president, Albert Reynolds Taylor, has come full circle
and is now the home of MU’s current president, Dr. Hal Jeffcoat and his wife, Marie. In 1918, Taylor and his wife, Minerva, had moved into their newly constructed homeon Fairview Avenue, never realizing that nearly 100 years later, it would house another university president.

Following Albert Taylor’s death in 1929, Minerva moved to Kansas with their two daughters, and the house was purchased by the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. It served as their chapter house from 1930 to 1935.

The house was then briefly leased and also owned by Al and Iola VanZetti. Eventually, it was purchased in 1951 by Royce and Mickey Huss, parents of Dr. Stephen Huss, a current member of Millikin’s board of trustees, and his two sisters, Lynette and Martha. The Huss family occupied the house from 1951 to 2001. (Coincidentally, Mickey’s father was Rufus Bruner, a carpenter who helped build the house in 1918.)

According to Dr. Huss, houses lined Fairview Avenue at that time, and he and his sisters knew every family. The house next door on the north was the Pi Beta Phi sorority house, so there was

always a ready source of babysitters, too. To the south lived Eva Davis Casey, class of 1910, who often invited the children over to visit. Several MU professors also lived on the street, including Bonnie Blackburn, namesake of Blackburn Hall, who lived in a house where the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house is now located.

Following the death of Royce Huss, Millikin purchased the house and named it Huss House in honor of the family. The university used it as a guest house until 2011, when the Jeffcoats came to campus. The couple made it their home following his appointment as president, citing their desire to be involved in university activities.

“It’s great to have that access to campus,” President Jeffcoat said at the time. “I think it’s important that a president take a highly visible part in the life of the institution.”

Information obtained from a history written by trustee Stephen Huss, husband of Carol Hopkins Huss ’70 and son of the late Royce Huss ’37. compiled by Todd Rudat, former university archivist.